134 Expedition of H 
\vith a Commifiion from that Prince, to command all 
the new Conquefts : But the Garrifon Cortes had left at 
V era Cruz fo threatened and terrified T apa^ that he was 
glad to make his Efcape, and leave the General in Pof- 
feffion of Mexico. Having got rid of this Rival, Cortes 
marched in Perfon to the Province of Panuco.^ which he 
obliged to fubmit to liimi whereupon he divided the 
Country and all the Indian Inhabitants among the Officers 
and Soldiers, who treated them as Slaves ; and this was 
his Pradice in every Province, where the People volun- 
tarily fubmitted to him, or were compelled to it by 
force. But notwithftanding this bad Behaviour to the 
Natives, and his refufing to refign his Government to 
thofe who Were fent to fucceed him in his Command, 
fo powerful were the rich Prefents he from Time to Time 
fent to the Emperor, and fuch were the Reprefentations 
made to that Prince in his Favour, that Cortes was de- 
clared Captain-General and Governor of New Spain by 
the Emperor. 
The Governor ot Hifpaniola and Cula were com- 
manded to reinforce that General, and give him all pof- 
fible Affiifance : Whereupon, finding himfelf now efta- 
bliffied in his Command, he fet about rebuilding the 
City of Mexico., which he had burnt and demoliffied. 
He affigned Places for building Churches and other pub- 
lic Edifices, laid out Market-Places, divided the beft 
Part of the Ground among the Spaniards., and the reft 
am.ong the Natives, giving them Encouragement to 
build and people the Place again : He affigned one 
quarter Part particularly to Motezuma, a Son of the 
late Emperor, and another to one of the moft popular 
Indian Generals, and they foon erefted a much finer 
Town than that which had been deftroyed, having now 
the Advantage of Iron Tools, Carriages and Engines, 
which they wanted before. But nothing could be more 
magnificent than the Palace Cortes ereded for himfelf 
upon the Ground where Motezuma'^ Palace formerly 
ftood, about which ftis faid he ufed feven thou- 
fand Beams of Cedar, fome of them 12a Foot in. 
Length ; he alfo provided himfelf with a numerous 
Train of Artillery, confifting of thirty-five Pieces of 
Brafs Cannon, and feventy of Iron, which gave the In- 
dians a vaft Opinion of his Power ; but that which was 
his real Strength, and did him moft Service, both in 
Mexico and Europe, was the prodigious Wealth he ac- 
quired by the Plunder of all the Provinces he became 
Mafter of, and the rich Mines of Gold and Silver he 
every Day difcovered, or took from the Owners. 
All his great Conquefts, however, could not procure 
him Reft, and a peaceable Eftabliffiment ; for fometimes 
he was in Danger from the Intrigues of the Indians, who 
were very defirous of recovering their Country, and 
driving out or deftroying the Spaniards : And to put an 
End to thefe Contrivances, he, in 1527, found himfelf 
obliged to hang Guatimozin, and two other Indian 
Princes, whom he had detecfted in a Confpiracy againft 
him. Sometimes he found no lefs Uneafinefs from the 
Ambition, Avarice and Malice of fome of his own 
Countrymen. Thus, for Inftance, Chrijiopher Olid, 
who had behaved fo gallantly in the War againft the 
Mexicans, revolted from him, but was foon taken off by 
a violent Death. Julian de Jlderete, whom we have fo 
often mentioned, contrived the Murder of Cortes while 
upon his Knees at Mafs, which he afterwards confeffed 
to him, and afked his Pardon. At another Time, a 
Prieft, whofe Name was Leon, formed a Defign of blow- 
ing him into the Air by fetting Fire to a Barrel of Gun- 
powder, which either by Contrivance or by Chance was 
placed immediately under his Lodgings. Thefe Acci- 
dents fhew how fortunate a Man Hernan Cortes was. 
But how great foever his Courage, his Conduft, or 
his Succefs, yet he wanted not many Enemies envious 
alike of his Merit and his Fortune, and who therefore 
took abundance of Pains to prejudice the Emperor 
Charles V, againft him. 
In the Year 1528 Cortes found it convenient to return 
into Spain, in order to juftify his Condud; againft his 
Enemies.' The Emperor Charles N. received him with 
great Refped, gave him the whole Vale of Atrifco, with 
the Towns and Villages therein •, conferred on him the 
i 
ERNAN Cortes, Book I, 
Title of Marquis of the Vale of Guaxaca, and, to com- 
pleat his Favours, procured him a very honourable Mar- 
riage. The next Year he returned to Mexico with his 
I.,ady, but with a very limited Commiffion, which 
turned more to the Difadvantage of the Spanijh Govern- 
ment, than to the private Lofs of the Marquis, who 
was fo much beloved and efteemed in that part of the 
World, as to ftand in no Need of Authority to procure 
him Refped. He was fome time afterwards Captain 
General, Mendoca being Viceroy of the Province, at 
which Time there happened many private Grudges be- 
tween them ; but yet they joined together for the finding 
out a Paftage from thofe Seas to ours, which we pro- 
perly call the North-Weft Paftage, as alfo the Conqueft 
of Ciboa and ^ivira, where they were perfuaded by 
certain Friars that the People worffiiped the Crofs, and 
had other Tokens of Chriftianity : But all proved falfe ; 
and few Spaniards returned Llome, their Mifery was fo 
great, and the Country fo cold and barren, the People 
cruel, and five hundred Leagues from Mexico. . Cortes, 
after his taking Mexico, fent to difcover the northern 
Parts, and his People arrived in a Country where Ticoan- 
tipe Cician Pipe was King, who received them kindly, 
and fent an Embaffador to Cortes, thinking he was come 
out of the Clouds, and that their Veflels v/ere great 
Whales. They wondqred at their Horfes, and accepted 
a friendly Peace, offering Cortes fifty thoufand Men to 
affift in conquering Lutepac, who was his Enemy, for 
ufing the Chriftians well. 
Some new Troubles that he met with in relation to his 
Difcoveries, wherein the Viceroy interfered, inclined 
him in the Year 1542 to make a fecond Voyage into 
Spain, where he was received with as much Honour, 
and yet obtained as little Satisfadion as before. To fpealc 
impartially, the Emperor had conceived a kind of Jea- 
loufy, that if Cortes was rewarded according to his Me- 
rits, he would become too formidable for a Subjed. 
The Marquis was a Man of too much Senfe and Pene- 
tration not to difcern the Judgment that was formed of 
him at Court, when he had refided there but a little 
while ; He was however too wife, and too much a Man 
of Honour, to think that any Miftakes made by his 
Prince could cancel any Part of the Duty he owed him. 
For this Reafon he applied himfelf more afliduoufly than 
ever to merit the Emperor’s Affedions. He attended 
him in his dangerous and difaftrous Expedition againft 
the Algerines, and notwithftanding all his former Services, 
and fo low a Commiffion, as to be without a Voice in 
the Council of War, being unhorfed in a Charge he 
made againft the Infidels, he is faid to have loft in the 
Field two Emeralds of immenfe Value. After his re- 
turn to Spain from that Expedition, he affeded to lead a 
quiet and retired Life, employing moft of his Time in 
the Inftrudion of his Children, of whom he had many 
both legitimate and illegitimate. His fecond Wife was 
the Daughter of the Count of Aguila, by whom he had 
a Son who fticceeded him in his Titles, and fome of 
whofe Defcendants are ftill remaining. As for the great 
Cortes himfelf he died at a Village near Seville, called 
Caftilleja de la Cuejla, on the 2d of December 15^4, in 
the 63d Year of his Age : But his Corpfe, by hi^ own 
Diredion, was carried into New Spain. /I 
25. In relating the Hiftory of this great EvenJ:, we 
have taken in every thing that is material in the beft 
Spanijh Writers, fo that the Reader fees at onp View, 
and in the Compafs of a few Sheets, what has filled 
many large Volumes. When he comes to refled feri- 
oufly upon all the Paftages herein related, and to con- 
fider the Condud of Cortes from firft to laft, he will 
certainly be convinced, that this great Man merited the 
Praifes that have been given him, and that he was very 
much fuperior to many, if not to moft, of the Heroes of 
Antiquity. It muft not however be diftembled, that 
notwithftanding his great Abilities and many Virtues, he 
Was far enough from having a Charader altogether 
blamelefs, or from behaving in a fuch a Manner as that 
no Imputation could be fixed upon his Condud. 
If this had been the Cafe, it is highly probable, he 
would not have been attacked by F. Bartholomew de Cafas, 
Biffiop of Chiapa, who went over to Spain- on Purpofe 
to 
